Spain·Basque Country·San Sebastián
Tarta de queso vasca
Basque burnt cheesecake
A crustless cheesecake baked at high heat: burnt top and creamy centre, created at La Viña.
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 40 min
- Total time
- 2 h 55 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Servings
- 8
Cooling: 2 h
Ingredients
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Preparation
Tips
- The centre should come out wobbly: it finishes setting as it cools. If baked until firm, it will be dry.
- Mix without over-whisking so it does not rise too much and then sink.
- The crumpled baking paper standing above the tin gives its characteristic look and removes the need for a biscuit base.
- Ingredients at room temperature combine better and avoid lumps.
Variations
- It is traditionally served at room temperature; some refrigerate it and eat it cold, with a slightly firmer texture.
- There are versions with more or less flour, or none, and with different amounts of cream; the original La Viña recipe uses cream cheese, cream, eggs, sugar and very little flour.
Story of the recipe
Tarta de queso vasca: where it comes from.
The Basque cheesecake was created by Santiago Rivera at La Viña, the pintxo bar in San Sebastián's Old Town that his family opened in 1959. According to one of the sources consulted, Rivera began experimenting with proportions in 1987 and put it on the menu in 1990; other sources say 1988, so the exact date varies.
For years it was a local speciality and, around 2019, it became an international phenomenon through word of mouth and social media. Its hallmark is the dark, almost burnt top against a creamy centre, and the absence of a biscuit base.
Sources
By RecetarioMundo.